College Park, Md. - University of Maryland vs. Denver University
Byrd Stadium | May 13, 2006

Maryland Head Coach Dave CottleOn the preparation for the game
"I thought the game today was won by our scout team. They did a phenomenal job putting together the Denver ride. On Monday, they were kicking the daylights out of us, Tuesday we were getting better, and Wednesday and Thursday we started gaining our confidence. All in all, the scout team did a great job of preparing the team for this game today."

On the game plan
"We made a conscientious decision to not run from them, but to run at them. We have big, tough, athletic players just like they do. So, we didn't want one player hunting them, we wanted two. And that was a conscious decision to go after them."

On the game
"I knew we were going to get a solid 40 good opportunities throughout the game. The question was whether we were going to be able to make the shots, and whether or not their goalie was going to make saves. During the game, there was a period where everything was working out for us, and I thought we were playing great lacrosse."

"When we held Denver to one shot in the first quarter I knew we were in good shape. When you hold a really good offensive team to one shot, you know you're playing great lacrosse. The fact that they only had seven total shots today is a huge compliment to our players."

On senior attack Joe Walters
"I thought it was impressive the way he played very unselfish. He had five assists. And when your best players are playing unselfishly and for the team, that really helps the players around you play better. And that's what Joe did today."

On Maryland's defense and junior goalie Harry Alford
"He is really becoming a leader out there. He was 13 for 14 clearing in the first half. He communicated with the defense and was a strong leader, which helped the team gain some confidence. At the same time, we knew we had a great defensive team coming into the game and that we could defend Denver. The question was whether we could score, and we did that today"

Maryland Senior Attack Joe WaltersOn the preparation for the game
"Just like Coach Cottle said, the scouting team did a great job analyzing the Denver team. During the game, once the offense got on a role, it seemed like everything we had done to prepare had worked for us."

On breaking Maryland's total point record
"It actually wasn't on my mind. The point of playing today wasn't to break a record; it was for my team to win the game."

Maryland Sophomore Attack Max RitzOn his game
"I didn't do anything special. We just let the game come to us. In the first quarter, I was able to finish with some easy lay-ups, and I was just doing my part."

Denver Head Coach Jamie MunroOn the game
"We wanted to be able to put good pressure on the ball, and have a chance to gain opportunities from that ball pressure, and attack them offensively. It looked like we started the game with nerves, while they played sharp. That's a tough combination when your team is playing with nerves and the other team is playing sharp."

"They did a good job of clearing through, and we wanted to come off their clear through. The key was that we didn't put enough pressure on the ball carrier which would have made it hard for him to make the next look. We had a little success, but just not nearly the amount of ball pressure we needed to do what we wanted to do."

On the score after the first quarter
"When the score was 6-0 Maryland, I wasn't freaking out about the score, I just wanted to get us going. The way we play is by generating opportunities, and I knew if I could get the players to do that we'd be in good shape. Obviously we weren't happy with 6-0, but we certainly weren't in despair."

On the program
"We are a young program, and when we started, we were happy just beating anyone. Once we could do that statistically, we looked to make some upsets. After that, we wanted to consistently generate upsets. Now that we have been doing that, we have gained some respect. This year was the first time we were able to go undefeated in the conference. For the past two years we've been co-champions in our conference and this was the first year we won it outright even though we were supposed to be in a rebuilding year. Obviously we're not happy with today's result, but we are happy with the progress of this team."

Denver Senior Midfielder Geoff SniderOn his performance in the game
"I definitely didn't have my best game today. I was a little bit off, and a lot of that offensive responsibility relied on Adam [Goodwin] and myself, and we just didn't do a good enough job. On the face-offs, my five or six jumps cost us. All around, I just didn't have one of my best games."

On the game
"It's a big mental game. There's a lot going on; it's exciting and nerve-racking. Once I settled into the game things turned around, but getting used to a new stadium, new officials, and a new team can be tough. I have to give them credit though, they played really well."

Denver Senior Midfielder Adam GoodwinOn the game
"I think like Coach Munroe said, nerves did play a part in the game today. But I just feel like they executed what they do really well, and Maryland just played a real great game. At the same time, we came here, and just didn't execute our game plan the way we should have. We didn't get things done on the offensive side, put enough pressure on Maryland, and committed too many turnovers, which led to Maryland playing a great game."